Strand tension device



Aug. 4, 1953 c. a. GILMORE STRAND TENSION DEVICE Filed June 15, 1950 JNVENTOR. CHARLES 6. G/LMO/PE BY 21% Afrofllvf:

Patented Aug. 4, 1953 STRAND TENSION DEVICE Charles G. Gilmore, Meadville, Pa., assignor to American Viscose Corporation,

Wilmington,

Del., a corporation of Delaware Application June 15, 1950, Serial No. 168,337

14 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a tension. device for an advancing strand. More particularly the invention relates to a magnetic tension device. The invention is adapted for broad application to control the tension of a strand of yarn, cord, rope, cable or extruded filament, and the word thread as used throughout the specification and claims is not to be construed in a limiting sense but is intended to include all of the above named strands.

When a thread is drawn forward from a supply cone or other source of supply, one portion of the thread may pull off the cone or away from the supply source more readily than another portion, so that the tension of the thread or strand as it advances along a definite path of travel may vary considerably. It is desirable therefore to provide some means for imparting a uniform tension. to an advancing strand which tension. may be as low or as high as desired or required under the circumstances.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a thread or strand tension device of simple construction which will impart a uniform tension to an advancing thread or strand, which tension is the result of a magnetic force in the tension device.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a magnetic tension device in which the path of travel of the advancing thread deviates froma straight line.

Other advantages and objects of the present invention will be obvious from the description thereof hereinafter.

The nature of the present invention will be readily understood from the following description thereof when the same is read in connection with the accompanying drawing in which,

Figure l is a perspective view of one embodiment of the invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the embodiment shown in Figure 1,

Figure 3 is an end elevation of the embodiment shown in Figure 1,

Figure 4 is an end elevation of another embodiment of the invention, and

Figure 5 is an end elevation view of still another embodiment of the invention.

The objects of the present invention are generally accomplished by passing a thread between two members or guides which are capable of being rotated, the top member being piv-otally mounted at one end thereof. The guides are held in contact with the thread passing therebetween by magnets positioned internally of the guides or constituting the guides per se. Magnets as used herein and in the claim is intended to include permanent magnets and electromagnets, and "magnetic member includes a permanent magnet, an electromagnet, or a magnetizable member, such as an iron core or the like, which in effect becomes a magnet by induction when in juxtaposition to a magnetized member.

Referring to Figures 1, 2 and 3, the embodiment there shown com-prises a lower guide 3 which may be any convenient shape such as oval, elliptical, cylindrical, and the like, but is preferably cylindrical as illustrated in the drawing since it is then more readily and easily adjustable. Guide 3 has a hard surface and is rigidly attached to and extends from the guide mounting block 4. Guide 3 is so mounted that it can be adjustably rotated about its axis by loosening set screw 5.

Positioned above guide 3 is a second guide 6 which is similar in size and shape to guide 3, attached to a hinged knuckle I which in turn is mounted on shaft 8 extending through the guide mounting block 4. Guide 6 is also so mounted that it can be rotated about its axis by loosening set screw 9. The guide members may be mounted side by side, or with guide 6 above guide 3, etc. Magnets l0 and I l are mounted off center in guide 3 and 6 respectively, which guides may be made of magnetic material, such as iron, steel, and the like, non-magnetic material such as brass, porcelain, etc., or one of the members Ill and M may comprise a magnet and the other an iron core, or the like. However, it is preferred to employ guides made of non-magnetic material having magnets mounted internally thereof, and preferably parallel to the axis of the guide.

Reference character it represents a thread passing between the guides. The magnetic attraction of members it and I! hold guides 3 and 6 together. By loosening set screws 5 and 9, it is possible to rotate the guides relative to each other so that the members Ill and II are either brought closer together or spread further apart, as the case may be, thereby producing more or less magnetic pull to provide the necessary tension required or desired. However, when desired the magnetic members I 0 and H may be mounted in the center of or coincident with the axis of the guides, particularly when a fixed tension is all that is required. Being mounted off center makes the tension device more versatile and allows the tension to be varied to suit particular needs.

Further, the magnetic member ID in guide 3 is adjustable transversely of the direction of travel of the thread. This is accomplished by loosening set screw l3. Such adjustment of 3 member l produces a linear change in tension. Figure 2 shows member ID in a displaced position.

It should be understood that while the embodiment shown in Figures 1-3 depicts only one set of guides, any number may be employed along the path of travel of the thread. The same or variable tension along the thread is possible when employing more than one set of guides.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 4 there is employed a plurality of guides l4, l5, l6, l1, l8 and I9 similar in construction and mounting as those previously described except that the guides are staggered, i. e., not directly above another guide, so that the thread follows a tortuous course. The guides are rotated in like manner by loosening set screws 21, 22, 23, 24, and 26, thus rotating the magnets or magnetic members 21, 28, 29, 30, 3| and 32. It is, of course, to be understood that while only three upper or pivotal guides and three lower or stationary guides have been shown in Figure 4, any number of each may be employed as desired or necessary.

In the embodiment shown in Figure 5, there is employed a plurality of upper pivotal guides 33 and 34 similar in construction and mounting to those previously described. Positioned below guides 33 and 34, and spaced therefrom, are stationary pins 35 and 36. All of the guides and pins are capable of being rotated on their axis by loosening set screws 31, 38, 39 and 40, thus in turn rotating magnets or magnetic members 4!, 42, 43 and 44 positioned off center in the guides and pins and parallel to the axis of the same. Staggered with relation to the top guides and bottom pins are plain guide pins 45 and 46 over which thread 20 passes following a tortuous course. Here again it is to be understood that while only two of each of the upper guides, lower pins, and guide pins have been shown in Figure 5, only one, or more than two, of each may be employed as desired or necessary.

In all embodiments of the present invention, both shown and contemplated by the present disclosure, the upper or lower guide may be made entirely of some high grade magnetic material, such as steel and the like, while the other guide relative thereto would be constructed as hereinabove described. The same efiect would be obtained by rotating the guide containing the magnet bringing the samecloser or further away from the guide constructed of magnetic material, or the same linear change would be produced by adjusting the magnet transverse of the direction of travel of the thread, as shown in Figure 2. There is less danger in the embodiment shown in Figure 4 of flattening or damaging the thread.

The present invention has the advantage of being simple in construction and easily attachable to thread handling mechanisms. In addition the tension device is compact and thus an improvement over the bulkier tension spring devices and those which depend on gravity. There is also insured a steady, even, and uniform tension while at the same time, due to the pivotal nature of the upper guide, slubs and knots in the thread will pass through the tensioning device. Numerous other advantages will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

It is to be understood that change and variations may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tension device comprising guide supporting means, a guide member extending lengthwise 4 from the supporting means, means for securing the guide member fixedly to the supporting means, a second guide member extending lengthwise from the supporting means in juxtaposition and generally parallel to the first guide member, said second guide member being pivotally mounted on the supporting means on an axis transverse of the length of the member, each of said members comprising a magnetic element mounted therein, the element in at least one of the members being a magnet, said guide members being adapted to receive a thread therebetween and in contact therewith.

2. A tension device as defined in claim 1 wherein the second guide member is positioned above the first guide member.

3. A tension device comprising a guide support, a guide member fixed on the support and having a cylindrical thread-engaging portion, the axis of which extends lengthwise from the support, a second guide member having a cylindrical threadengaging portion extending lengthwise from the support in juxtaposition and generally parallel to the first guide member, the second member being pivotally mounted on the supporting means on an axis transverse of the axis of the member, each of said members comprising a magnetic element mounted therein ofi center but generally parallel with respect to the axis of its respective guide member, the element in at least one of the members being a magnet.

4. A tension device as defined in claim 3 in which at least one of the guide members is mounted for adjustment about the axis of its cylindrical portion.

5. A tension device as defined in claim 3 in which both of the guide members are mounted for adjustment about the axis of their cylindrical portions.

6. A tension device comprising a guide support, a guide member fixed on the support and having a cylindrical thread-engaging portion, the axis of which extends lengthwise from the support, a second guide member having a cylindrical thread-engaging portion extending lengthwise from the support in juxtaposition and generally parallel to the first guide member, the second member being pivotally mounted on the supporting means on an axis transverse of the axis of the member, each of said members comprising magnets mounted therein oii center but generally parallel with respect to the axis of its respective guide member.

'7. A tension device as defined in claim 6 in which at least one of the guide members is mounted for adjustment about the axis of its cylindrical portion.

8. A tension device comprising guide supporting means, a cylindrical guide extending from the supporting means, means for securing the guide fixedly to the supporting means, a cylindrical guide member extending from the supporting means in juxtaposition and generally parallel to, but laterally ofiset from, the fixed guide, said guide member being pivotally mounted on the supporting means, a stationary member positioned in juxtaposition to the guide member but out of contact with the thread, said guide and guide member being adapted to receive a thread therebetween and in contact therewith, said members each comprising a magnetic element, and at least one of the magnetic elements being a magnet.

9. A tension device comprising guide supporting means, a guide member having a cylindrical thread-engaging portion extending lengthwise from the supporting means, means for securing the guide member fixedly to the supporting means, a second guide member having a cylindrical thread-engaging portion extending lengthwise from the supporting means in juxtaposition to the first guide member, said second guide member being pivotally mounted in the supporting means on an axis transverse of the length of the member, means for adjusting at least one of the guide members about the axis of its cylindrical portion, and magnets mounted in each of the guide members off center and parallel to the axis thereof.

10. A tension device as defined in claim 9 wherein the second guide member is positioned above the first guide member.

11. A tension device comprising guide supporting means, a set of cylindrical guide members extending from the supporting means and arranged in a common plane, a second set of cylindrical guide members extending from the supporting means arranged in another common plane and offset from the first set of guide members, said second set of guide members being pivotally mounted on the supporting means about an axis transverse of their axes, a magnetic element mounted in each of the guide members, the elements in at least one set being mounted off center with respect to the axis of their respective guide members, and the elements in at least one set being magnet-s, means for adjusting the guide members comprising the off center elements about their axes, all of said guide members being adapted to receive a thread therebetween and in contact therewith and being staggered to cause the thread traveling therebetween to travel along a tortuous course.

12. A tension device as defined in claim 11 wherein the magnetic elements are mounted parallel to their guide member axes.

13. A tension device as defined in claim 11 wherein the guide members of the second set are arranged in a plane above the guide members of the first set and are staggered with respect to them,

14. A tension device comprising guide supporting means, a set of cylindrical guide members extending from the supporting means and arranged in a common plane, a second set of cylindrical guide members extending from the supporting means and arranged in another common plane generally parallel to the first, the guide members of one set being staggered with respect to the members of the other set, said second set of guide members being pivotally mounted on the supporting means about an axis transverse of their axes, a set of pins arranged in a common plane and extending from the supporting mean-s below the second set of guide members out of contact with the thread, magnets mounted in the pins and in the second set of guide members off center and parallel to the axis thereof, means for adiusting the pins and the guide members of the second set about an axis transverse of their axes, all of said guide members being adapted to receive a thread therebetween and in contact therewith and being staggered to cause the thread traveling therebetween to travel along a tortuous course.

CHARLES G. GILMORE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 723,682 Kortright Mar. 24, 1903 1,011,986 Migliora et a1 Dec. 19, 1911 1,313,919 Sawtell Aug. 26, 1919 1,825,626 Bock Sept. 29, 1931 2,281,204 Raymond Apr. 28, 1942 2,478,926 Kingsbury Aug. 16, 1949 

